Chapter 740: Ten Years

The Dark Age.

Since the outbreak of the world-ending war, the planet’s ecosystem has been destroyed and reshaped. Over 60% of species have gone extinct, and civilization has regressed into a dark period, thus collectively referred to as the Dark Age.

Each survivor camp is isolated and narrow-minded, without a unified calendar system. However, Wu Ming clearly knows that the Dark Age has already lasted for more than ten years.

At this time, humans living on the planet have undergone various changes and can be called the New Humans. A mysterious organization has also rapidly risen.

The Hermit Society!

This group, originally hidden behind the scenes as the black hand pushing the world toward destruction, now openly established a new nation across the former territory of the Pandorn Empire.

There, everything is dictated by the will of the supernatural beings. Ordinary New Humans are merely slaves, and the higher the power level of a supernatural being, the more privileges they possess. The elites can even kill slaves for amusement without facing any consequences, making it a place filled with bloodshed and crime.

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Golden Oak, the Church of the New God of Redemption, led by Jay, has rapidly expanded. After absorbing a large number of believers from other city shelters, and with Wu Ming generously granting divine magic, the church’s power has grown quickly, steadily expanding from its center in Caspar City.

As for the Lilac Federation?

There hasn’t been any massive supernatural force rising, instead it remains in a state of chaos.

Of course, no matter how these factions develop, they are still far inferior compared to the old Golden Oak Kingdom and Lilac Federation of the past era, roughly equivalent to small Greek city-states, with extremely poor transportation and little communication.

Why? Naturally due to the harsh environment and various dangers.

…

Kingdom of Golden Oak.

A group of adventurers, clad in leather armor and armed with swords, spears, and bows, appeared on the plains.

“Little Evan, this is your first time going hunting. Just focus on protecting yourself!”

A muscular man with three claw-like scars on his face, wearing black leather armor, sternly said, “Don’t get in our way. If you foolishly put yourself in danger, don’t expect us to risk our lives to save you!”

“I understand, Uncle Sebast!”

The boy named Evan looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, his baby face still showing signs of youth, wearing a clearly ill-fitting, worn leather armor. His hands gripped the spear tightly, his knuckles turning white.

“I’ve already come of age, I’m an adult!”

Evan muttered softly.

Food in their camp was extremely scarce. Seeds from the old era could no longer grow in the soil. Although they had found a few barely edible plants among the mutated ones, the yields were tragically low. Hunger was a deeply familiar feeling for the New Humans of the Dark Age.

Joining these hunting parties, as long as they could bring back something and survive, at least ensured a share of meat, greatly easing the burden on their families.

“Sigh… In the past, a kid like you might not have had it easy either, needing to work to earn money, but at least there was no life-threatening danger…”

Sebast suddenly sighed.

“The Age of Light?”

Little Evan’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “I’ve heard that in that era, you could buy anything you wanted from a store just by having money!”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

Sebast nodded affirmatively. “All because of that damned war!”

For a moment, even he felt it was unbelievable. Ten years had passed, and the once timid young man had now grown into a true iron-willed man.

Unfortunately, that carefree era was gone forever, and he could only relive those beautiful memories in his dreams.

“Then wouldn’t it be like the Promised Land, the land of the God of Redemption?”

Evan said reverently.

Although he had lived before the war, he had been just a baby at the time, with no memory of the steam-powered era. The most vivid stories he had heard were about the land of the God of Redemption.

Within the Kingdom of Golden Oak, a myth had always been circulating.

Before the apocalypse, the Pope of Redemption, Steven, led a large group of believers to the divine realm.

There, there was no famine, no radiation, no harsh climate or dangerous mutated beasts. Golden wheat covered the ground, and with just a little effort, one could harvest enough bread to last for years.

“The Promised Land? More or less!”

Sebast, who had never actually been to the divine realm, could only answer like this: “I’ve heard only the most devout believers can go there…”

“Not even Sir Robin can go?”

Evan suddenly asked.

Sir Robin, the Knight of Redemption, was another legendary figure to rise after Jay.

He was only about twenty-five or twenty-six, yet had already become the church’s chief paladin, enjoying a great reputation among the common people as the embodiment of compassion, justice, and protection.

Of course, he was also the dream lover of many girls and the idol of young boys.

“Robin…”

Sebast didn’t know how to respond for a moment, so he chose the easiest way out:

“Idiot! This is the Dead Plains, is this really the time to chat?”

He punched little Evan hard on the head. “Stay alert! Some high-level mutated beasts even possess intelligence. Don’t assume they’re as foolish as ordinary animals that would fall into traps!”

“Chief!”

At this moment, a capable female adventurer shouted. “There are signs!”

“Hmm? Let me see!”

Sebast pushed through the grass, looking at several narrow animal trails, his face lighting up with joy. “It’s those lovely white-eyed rats, maybe even a few sharp-toothed rabbits. Great!”

Wild hunting is no easy task, constantly accompanied by danger, especially among mutated beasts, some of which are equivalent to supernatural beings. These high-level beast kings almost have intelligence comparable to humans, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.

Their most basic adventuring team could at best deal with isolated wolves; encountering larger predators would almost certainly lead to disaster. They were literally risking their lives.

Those who truly hope to challenge their limits every moment, dancing on a tightrope, are either fools or madmen, certainly not normal people.

“Pursue them and see if we can destroy their nest!”

A gleam of excitement appeared in Sebast’s eyes.

A small beast’s nest represented more than just prey; nearby there might be a patch of kudzu or a small orchard. What the beasts could eat, humans could mostly eat as well.

After all, through the harsh environmental selection, humans who couldn’t withstand it were already few in number.

“No problem!”

With this discovery, the entire team was invigorated. The female archer immediately began tracking, while the others prepared their weapons.

Most of their weapons were steel swords, iron blades, bows, and spears, with sharp tips and blood grooves, clearly deadly.

They didn’t use bullets or firearms for two reasons: first, these mutated beasts often had thick hides and meat that ordinary guns couldn’t penetrate; second, for logistical considerations.

After all, hunting and defense were daily production tasks, and the current survivor camps lacked dedicated firearms and ammunition production lines.

Relying solely on salvaged weapons from the ruins could support a major battle, but using them regularly would quickly drain resources. Therefore, these old-era firearms were treated as secret weapons and carefully protected within the survivor camps.

With the existence of superhuman abilities, most survivor camps were now led by high-level supernatural beings.

The widespread use of cold weapons prompted many to rediscover martial arts previously looked down upon, and they had to train hard for survival.

The entire world seemed to be twisted by a strange force, and everything was transforming toward a new social form.

The group stealthily advanced for half a day before collectively lying in wait in the grass at Sebast’s command.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The purple sun set, and cold winds blew.

With the ozone layer riddled with holes, the temperature difference between day and night was unimaginably vast. After the intense ultraviolet and scorching rays of the day, the nights turned bitterly cold.

If it were an ordinary person from the steam-powered era, they would likely be dead by now.

But after undergoing mutation, even the most ordinary New Humans had developed great tolerance to radiation and harsh environments. Even the frail Evan was merely shivering slightly.

However, their patience and vigilance finally paid off.

“Squeak! Squeak!”

Not sure how much time had passed when, under the cover of night, Evan clearly saw the grass nearby being pushed aside, and several small heads cautiously poked out, their white eyes particularly noticeable.

“White-eyed rats, the most common mutated beasts, with combat power similar to that of children!”

Evan silently recalled the information about them. In fact, he had eaten quite a bit of white-eyed rat meat, which had an indescribable bitterness and a gamey smell, not particularly tasty.

But for ordinary people, being able to occasionally eat some meat was already nothing to complain about.

“Shhh! Shhh!”

At Sebast’s signal, the two archers in the group immediately drew their bows. The arrows flew with a piercing sound, accurately hitting two white-eyed rats and pinning them to the ground.

“Charge!”

Sebast roared, quickly throwing a throwing knife that impaled another white-eyed rat trying to flee in panic.

“Ahh!”

Evan gripped his spear and jumped out from the grass, but unfortunately, due to his nervousness, he tripped over his feet and fell into an extremely awkward face-plant.

“…”

Seeing this scene, Sebast’s mouth twitched, and he was left speechless.